After two distinctly forgettable years in 2009 and 2010 when it found itself in the doldrums, the current situation is giving Indian wine-makers a lot to cheer about.

“This year we expect the industry to return to pre-2009 levels in terms of sale volumes,” Jagdish Holkar, President, All-India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) says, adding that the previous two years were bad not only for the Indian wine industry, but for wine producers around the globe.

The current year's production stands at 1.5 million cases translating into 13.5 million litres and the value of end point sales (to consumers) now stands at around Rs 700-800 crore. The good news, according to Holkar, is that he thinks that the industry will see the pre-2009 growth levels of 30-40 per cent per annum for the next few years.

One of the new initiatives being undertaken is to promote export of Indian wines. In January 2012, the AIWPA in association with APEDA will be organising a wine-tasting session for foreign diplomats in New Delhi, which the Minister for Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma, will attend.

This will be followed with a similar exercise in Mumbai in February for consul-generals of various nations. “It is not exports at the cost of domestic sales as both will grow simultaneously,” Holkar explains, adding that the current value of exports that stands between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore, and the target is Rs 500 crore in three to four years' time.

Another trend that Holkar is predicting is a shortage of white wine next year. “This wine is light bodied, refreshing and sweeter, so it taste appeals to the Indian palate which has yet to develop a taste for the astringency of red wine which, in the western world is actually considered a virtue,” he points out.

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